Lando Norris revealed that rival teams showed interest before he renewed and extended his contract with McLaren through the 2030 Formula 1 season.
This weekend, the British team announced that the Briton will stay on for four more seasons. The 2025 champion joined in 2019 — thus spending more than a decade wearing the same livery.
In the past, Helmut Marko courted Lando to try to recruit him for Red Bull, and now the driver confirms that there was indeed interest from other teams on the F1 grid. “There was some interest from other places,” he told BBC Sport.
“But I don’t want to go anywhere. I don’t want to be with another team. I don’t want to spend my time with other people. So, that was probably one of the easiest decisions I’ve made since entering Formula 1,” he continued.
“[The contract talks] became a talking point in the last four months, more or less, but in a very informal and behind-the-scenes way.”
“The fact that I stayed with them and that we have achieved success certainly makes me not want to… they didn’t give up on me, and I didn’t give up on them,” he continued.
“That creates a very strong bond among everyone who works here. I want to believe that this bond will stay as strong as it is now until the moment I retire from Formula 1. I know that day will still be a long way off, and I don’t want to think about it now,” he continued.
“But I believe we are at the best moment in our history, even with a difficult start to the season, and I am sure we can overcome any challenge together,” he concluded.
